Monday, 19 October 2015

My son loves fish and since he is in hostel, whenever he comes home, I usually make it a point to give him his favorite food. Last time I went to the local supermarket, I saw frozen Alaskan salmon and I thought I will give it a try as I keep hearing about it's wonderful health benefits.Since I come from a family of farmers, like most of them I am also very curious about the produce that I buy. Since Alaskan salmon is very expensive in our place, I really wanted to know what I am buying is really giving the benefits that it should. There are many varieties of salmon and the main 2 classification are Atlantic salmon and Pacific salmon. I tried searching for salmon names in different Indian languages. In India both salmon and Indian salmon are referred to with the same names and though Indian salmon is named salmon, it is actually threadfin fish, not salmon. This confused me a lot and if I am wrong with the names given, please write in the comment section below.Salmon fish is called Rawas in Hindi, Kaatla in Tamil, Bameen in Malayalam, Budatha Maga in Telugu, Surmai in Kannada. If you are buying salmon, check first whether it is farm raised or caught wild. Chances are very high that almost all of the Alaskan salmon that we get here in India are farm raised, the one I got was farm raised. Since wild Alaskan salmon are endangered species almost all of the salmon we get are farm raised. Salmon fish are carnivorous and they require other small fishes in their diet to meet their high protein requirements. But since the salmon farming industry is expanding at a rapid pace, to keep up with the demands of fishes for feeding salmon, salmon farm raisers are using vegetarian resources like soy and corn which can lower the omega 3 in the salmon. We also know that most of the soy and corn are genetically modified. Added to that, farm raised salmon are given antibiotics regularly which will be found in the flesh too. Also chemicals are used to treat the water they are raised in. The best shocker for me was to get the reddish color which is typical of salmon fish, artificial colors are added to the feed. It is very hard to find out whether a salmon is artificially colored or not. The best solution for it is when buying salmon, try to buy only organic farm raised salmon or wild salmon (pacific salmon) to get the real benefits that salmon fish offers.If you are not a fish eater or don't like fish, try salmon oil but please make sure you are buying good quality oil. Salmon oil side effects: If you are on blood thinner or diabetic medications, please consult your physician before taking salmon oil regularly. Also if taken in high doses, it could lead to intestinal discomforts.

1. Salmon Benefits For Hair Loss:

Any high protein food is very good for our hair and since salmon fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, it is really great for our hair. Salmon is not only rich in omega 3 fatty acids, it also contains high amount of B vitamins especially vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12 which is very essential for preventing hair loss and stimulating hair growth. Try to include it at least weekly twice...

2. Salmon Benefits For Skin:

If you have noticed the skin of people who include a lot of omega 3 fatty acids in heir diet, their skin will be glowing. If you want a glowing skin, along with external applications try to include fatty fish like salmon in your diet very often.

3. Salmon For Babies & Toddlers: I generally find that many children prefer meat than fish because of the smell. I would suggest to introduce fish to children as early as possible. There is contradicting advise about when to introduce fish in babies, I started giving my son fish when he was around 1.5 years to 2 years old. I would suggest to be very careful about the quality of the fish and make sure to give only wild or organic farm raised fishes.

4. Salmon For Weight Loss:

The main challenge in weight loss is finding foods that are nutrient dense, high in protein to prevent loss of muscle, low in calories and at the same time tastes good. If you are a meat lover, I would suggest substituting it with fish like salmon. It is low in saturated fat and a simple pan fried fish with very little fat using basic seasoning will take care of the protein needs of a person. If you are on weigh loss diet, try including fish like salmon in your diet often....

5. Salmon For Pregnancy:

Pregnant women will greatly benefit from eating fish. When I was pregnant, I was feeling nauseous all the time and actually I was losing weight then gaining. After the first few months of not able to eat anything, I made sure the food I ate was nutrient dense and not greasy. I tried eating fish but couldn't as I kept throwing up. But if you can eat fish without feeling nauseous, I would suggest you try to include in the diet at least weekly twice during and after pregnancy...

6. Salmon For Body Building:

The one ingredient that all body builders will be very particular is protein. Especially for people who are planning on a cutting diet, i.e losing fat but trying to preserve muscle mass, they will greatly benefit from eating salmon. Since salmon is rich in protein (20 grams for each 100 grams of salmon), it will be great to include it in the diet.

7. Salmon For General Health:

Since salmon is rich in minerals especially magnesium, it greatly increases our immunity. Research also has shown that eating oily fish rich in omega 2 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart diseases significantly. Eating food high in omega 3 fatty acids is said to prevent osteoporosis, brain diseases and depression. It improves brain function and bone density if included in the diet regularly.